138: The First Wave

The first wave came at the noon of the fifteenth day of the third moon of the twenty-second year of Da-ye.

Lu Mengtai's *four hundred* — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past day's runner-relay — had arrived at the small accumulating *southern fold's accumulating outer arrangement* at the dawn of the fifteenth day. They had — by the small specific reading at the past three hours of the morning — laid in the small accumulating *Sui campaign-engagement* shape at the small accumulating *open formation with the senior sub-officer at the rear with the small accumulating *campaign-table-and-runners* and with the small accumulating *real engagement-veterans* at the front*.

The cold-spring brigade had — by Yan Wenshu's coordinated arrangement at the past four days — laid the *forty-two of Geng Quan* at the *first cut*. The *first cut* was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' arrangement — at the small accumulating *narrowed pass* of perhaps eight *bu* width at a small accumulating *cliff-and-stream's accumulating arrangement* that Wang Er and Yan Shaozhong had laid in further at the past two years' accumulating *bottlenecking-improvement* at the small accumulating *real fortified bottlenecking* shape.

By the small specific accumulating reading at Yan Wenshu's accumulating *campaign-eye* at the past five days — the *first cut* would, against four hundred Sui at the small accumulating *real engagement-veterans* shape, hold for perhaps three to four hours at the small accumulating *real bottleneck-engagement*. The *forty-two* would, at the small accumulating *cost-of-perhaps-fourteen-of-forty-two*, take the small accumulating *cost-of-perhaps-eighty-of-four-hundred* and would fall back at the *second cut*.

The engagement laid in at the noon.

Lu Mengtai's *four hundred* came at the small accumulating *first cut's outer arrangement* at the noon and laid in the small accumulating *first wave of bottlenecking attempt* at the small accumulating *Sui-engagement-veterans-at-the-front* shape. Geng Quan's *forty-two* held the cut at the small accumulating *thrust-and-set* and *block-and-set* shape Wang Er had been teaching at the small specific accumulating *moment*-method at the past four years.

The *first wave of bottlenecking* held.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the runner's accumulating *post-engagement saying* at the dusk of the fifteenth day — Lu Mengtai's *four hundred* had, at the noon and the early afternoon, attempted the *first cut* at four small accumulating *real waves* of perhaps eighty Sui troops each. Each wave had — by the small specific accumulating reading at Geng Quan's accumulating eye on it — broken at the small accumulating *third or fourth attempt* at the *thrust-and-set's accumulating coordinated bottleneck-engagement*.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the third hour of the afternoon — Lu Mengtai had, by the small specific reading at his accumulating *campaign-eye*, laid the small accumulating *real* reading: the *first cut* would, at the small accumulating *real engagement-veterans*, take perhaps another four hours and would, by the small specific reading at his accumulating *real-engagement Sui veteran's accumulating arithmetic*, take perhaps the small accumulating *cost-of-one-hundred-and-twenty-of-four-hundred* before falling.

Lu Mengtai had laid the small accumulating *partial withdrawal* at the small accumulating *fourth hour of the afternoon*. He withdrew his accumulating *four hundred* at the small accumulating *cost-of-eighty-of-four-hundred* (his accumulating *first wave's accumulating four attempts*' cost) and, by the small specific accumulating reading at the runner's accumulating saying at the dusk of the fifteenth day, laid the small accumulating *campaign-camp* at perhaps a *li* south of the *first cut's outer arrangement*.

Lu Mengtai was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the runner's saying — at the small accumulating *re-laying-the-engagement* shape.

The *first cut* held.

Geng Quan's *forty-two* had taken the small accumulating *cost-of-three* (one dead, two wounded). The cold-spring brigade was, at this dusk, at the small accumulating *one-hundred-and-eleven* shape (one of Geng Quan's *forty-two* dead).

The dead — by the small specific reading at the runner's accumulating list at the dusk — was *Bai Mengxin*, Hebei, twenty-nine, four years at the rebellion, taken at the *first cut's accumulating second attempt's accumulating thrust* at the small accumulating *block-and-set's accumulating recovery* during the third attempt's *thrust-and-set's accumulating coordinated bottleneck-engagement*'s accumulating reorganization between attempts.

Heizi at the small clear ground at the dusk of the fifteenth day filed.

The dark catalog took the small accumulating *Bai Mengxin* at the small specific accumulating *thirty-eighth named name*.

The *one-mark-knowing* held.

He went to the cot's-side at the dusk.

He said in the small low voice: *master. The first cut held. Geng Quan one dead. Lu Mengtai eighty.*

Lao Wen at the cot looked up.

He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — Lu Mengtai will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's reading of his accumulating *fifteen-year Sui veteran's accumulating engagement-shape*, lay in the small accumulating *re-engagement* at the dawn or the noon of the sixteenth day. He will, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay in further the small accumulating *attempted bottlenecking* at perhaps four or five further attempts. Geng Quan will, by the small specific reading at the past four years' accumulating arrangement, fall back at the *second cut* at perhaps the noon or the early afternoon of the sixteenth day. Wei Quchang's *forty Li Mi reinforcements* will then lay in at the *second cut's* accumulating *bottleneck-engagement*. The *second cut* will, by the small specific reading at Yan Wenshu's accumulating arithmetic, hold for perhaps another three or four hours at the small accumulating *cost-of-perhaps-fifteen-of-forty*. Lu Mengtai will, at the small accumulating *combined cost-of-perhaps-one-hundred-and-eighty*, withdraw at the small accumulating *re-laying* shape, and the *third cut* will hold the rest. By the small specific reading I am giving — the *first wave* will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the small accumulating four-day engagement, end at perhaps the dusk of the eighteenth day at the small accumulating *real defeat* of Lu Mengtai's *four hundred* with the cold-spring brigade's accumulating *cost-of-perhaps-thirty-three or thirty-five*."

Heizi nodded.

He filed it.

That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire.

He listened.

The *first cut's* accumulating *real engagement* was, at this dusk, perhaps a *li* south of the southern fold and perhaps three *li* from the master's hut, by the small specific reading at the past four years' accumulating geography. The wind from the south carried — at certain moments of the early evening — the small accumulating *real distant* shape of an accumulating *real engagement's* accumulating sound: the small accumulating *thrust-and-set's accumulating bottleneck* and the small accumulating *Sui troops at the small accumulating *real engagement* shape*. By the small specific accumulating reading at Heizi's accumulating *senior-sub-officer's eye* — the wind would, by the small specific reading at the past four years' accumulating geography, carry the *first cut's* accumulating sound at most for perhaps the *first hour of the engagement*.

The accumulating *first hour* had been — at the dusk of the fifteenth day — the small accumulating *first wave of bottlenecking's accumulating four attempts*.

The wind, at the small banked fire's accumulating watch, no longer carried it.

He filed.

He sat his watch through.